Come Home, Little Angel
by backstagespotlight
Summary: No one knows it, but Danny and Lindsay are married. When tragedy strikes and Danny is kidnapped along with their brand new baby girl, they both must fight to find their way home. I don't own CSI : New York. Part of my new AU
1. Chapter 1

Danny Messer smiled at his very pregnant wife across the empty lab. Lindsay smiled back and indicated with her eyes that he should look behind him. He did and found his buddy Don Flack standing behind him.

"You do know Lindsay's got a boyfriend, right man?" Flack asked. Danny nodded, yet again frustrated by the secrecy agreement which dominated his marriage. It was a mutual agreement, made because neither Danny nor Lindsay wanted the stigma of a intra-office relationship and the teasing that would come of it. It wasn't that they had ever lied about it, they just never said anything and acted quite professional at work. When Lindsay got pregnant the secret got harder to keep, but she had simply told the team she had a steady guy who was thrilled about the baby and they left it alone. Now that Lindsay was nearing her eighth month and, consequently her maternity leave the secret was even harder to keep quiet. Danny was thrilled to be a father and growing increasingly anxious for his little girl's birth.

"Yeah Flack, believe me, I know that," Danny sighed, "Better than most," he muttered under his breath.

"You're still sweet on her, aren't you?" Flack teased.

"Who, Montana?" Danny asked, "no way!"

Five weeks later, Danny was at the lab when his cell phone rang. The caller ID read 'Montana.'

"Hey, Montana," he said, smiling.

"Danny, it's time. The contractions have been happening all morning and they're ten minutes apart now," Lindsay panted breathlessly. Danny's heart began to race and he jumped up from his chair, glad this was a slow morning.

"Okay, just sit tight, Lindsay. I'll clear it with Mac and come get you really soon. Breathe, baby."

Danny ran to Mac's office, coat in hand.

"Mac, I just got a call from Louie's sister-in-law. I need to get to the hospital and I may be gone a while, but you understand a family emergency, right?" Danny said, talking swiftly, trying to appear concerned about his brother and not too excited over the birth of his daughter. Mac simply nodded without looking up and Danny ran for the door, nearly bowling Stella over on his way.

Six hours after Danny's departure, Lindsay was still in labor, but ready to start pushing. Danny was by her side, hand around hers, encouraging her. He kissed her forehead gently.

"Danny, this hurts," she complained.

"I know, Montana," Danny encouraged, "just a little longer, baby and it'll all be over." Lindsay smiled up at him, an exhausted one, but still a smile.

An hour later, a beautiful baby girl slipped into the world. Her cries were the most beautiful sound her parents had ever heard. She was placed on Lindsay's chest and Danny stared in amazement.

"Look what you did, Lindsay," he whispered into her ear, "She's beautiful." And she was. Her head was cover with a thatch of dark hair and huge eyes which had yet to take any specific color.

"Look what _we_ did, Messer," Lindsay corrected him, "She's going to be a Daddy's girl."

"You got that right," Danny said, he spoke gently to the infant, "You have got a very smart mommy, Fina," he said, "You listen to her, 'kay?" Lindsay chuckled. The nurses took the baby to be cleaned up and Lindsay was moved back to her room. Ten minutes later the nurse returned with their little girl snuggled warmly in a blanket.

"Does she have a name?" the nurse asked, working to fill out paperwork.

"Serafina Mackenzie Messer," Lindsay said. She spelled the name out for the nurse who asked a few more questions before finally leaving the family alone for the first time. Danny continued to marvel over the little life in his arms. Then his phone rang.

"Messer," he answered.

"Danny, we need you."

"Stella, I told Mac, I have a family emergency."

"That was nearly eight hours ago, Danny, and with Lindsay on maternity we're running short-handed. And unfortunately the criminals aren't giving us a break for that." Danny rolled his eyes.

"Stell, really, I don't think I can make it," Danny tried to insist. He handed Fina to her mother.

"I really need your help, Danny."

"Okay, give me the address, I'll be there in a few." Danny sighed and hung up the phone. He kissed Lindsay and ran a finger down Fina's cheek. Just before he left the room he snapped a picture of the two of his girls using his phone.

"Love you, Montana."

Danny pulled up to the crime scene and was greeted by Stella.

"Danny, you look like something the cat dragged in. Did you get any sleep in your time off?"

"It was a family medical emergency, Stella. What do you think?" Stella smiled sympathetically. She gave him his orders and he set to work. Thirty minutes in he got a phone call from a very frantic Lindsay.

"Danny, they took her for tests twenty minutes ago and they haven't brought her back yet," Lindsay's voice was at least and octave higher than normal.

"Calm down, Montana, I'm sure everything is fine. Just try to relax, okay?" Danny moved further away so Stella couldn't hear the conversation. He worked to calm her down and finally ended up singing her to sleep, much like he had intended to do for his little girl. He was headed back to the crime scene when strong arms grabbed his from behind. Danny moved to resist, but soon realized that there was a small infant strapped to his attacker's chest.

"Drop the cell phone, Detective Messer, and come with us," came a gruff voice at his ear. Somehow, Danny knew that the baby was his daughter. He did what he was told, kicking it across the pavement in Stella's general direction.

"Please, take me, do what you want, but take Fina back to the hospital. She hasn't done anything and my wife will be heartbroken."

"Sorry, Detective Messer, but that is exactly our point. Lindsay Monroe doesn't deserve to be happy," came another voice, a female voice. They pulled him around the corner and into a waiting van. Once there, the man thrust little Fina roughly into Danny's arms. The jostling woke her and she began to cry. Danny rocked her gently and sang softly in her ear. Serafina wrapped her hands around Danny's finger, pulling it gently toward her mouth. She sucked gently as she drifted off to sleep. Danny felt tears in his eyes at the thought of Lindsay, panicked, frightened and alone, so alone.

Stella called out to Danny as she turned the corner. She had seen him go back there almost 45 minutes earlier to take a phone call. She was stunned to find that he was gone. She called his cell phone and her heart began racing as she heard it ring nearby. She immediately reached for her radio.

"Dispatch, this is C3 Bonasera. We have a missing officer situation. Repeat missing officer." She then called Mac.

"Danny's gone!" she blurted, as soon as he answered, "He got a phone call and he turned the corner and he was taking so long-"

"Stella, calm down," Mac ordered, "Tell me exactly what happened." Stella began to explain things but was interrupted when Mac announced he'd just received a letter.

_Mac- _it read

_they gOt me froM The scene. No evidence waS Messed up. I'M A-OK right now. They want Lots mOney I think. Take whateVer you nEed oUt of my account. danny_

_TEN THOUSAND BY THE END OF TWO HOURS. _

Mac wrote out the misplaced capitals OMTSMM(AOK)LOVEU. He ran the letters through a scrambler to try and make so sense of them. Flack stepped into his office.

"Do you see any hidden messages, Don?" he asked. Flack shook his head, then studied the original note.

"You left out two letters, Mac. See the 't' in they? It should be a capital, but it's not. Same with the letter 'd' in Danny. Add those into the mix." Mac did, and they studied the letters again. Adam joined them.

"It's a message to someone specific," he said, pointing out the first two letters.

"M-T-S-M-M," Mac read, "Total gibberish, I'm not sure Danny wasn't delirious."

The phone rang. Mac answered and the blood drained from his face. When the conversation finished, he set the phone down and turned to his companions.

"That was the hospital. Someone kidnapped Lindsay's newborn."

Flack stood outside Lindsay's hospital room, talking with her doctor.

"Detective Monroe is obviously quite upset. We had to sedate her. She was calling out for her husband."

"Lindsay's not married," Flack said, confused.

"The paperwork says differently." The doctor let Flack into the room. Lindsay lay on her side, knees to her chest, tears running down her cheeks as she stared at the empty bassinet. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, which she shrugged off.

"Flack, where's Danny?" she asked, "I need him here." Flack shook his head.

"I don't know, Lindsay," he answered, "Stella said he got a phone call and moved around the corner. When he still wasn't back after 45 minutes, she went to check on him, found his cell phone on the ground. His kidnappers made him write us a note. But we need to talk about you and your baby, 'kay?" Lindsay nodded.

"Let's start with the basics. What is her name?"

"Serafina Mackenzie," Lindsay said, "She weighs 6 pounds 12 ounces, she's nineteen and a half inches and she has all this dark hair on her head. There should be a picture on Danny's phone," she suddenly started sobbing. "His phone, that was me on the phone, I was worried when she took Fina. I called Danny, but he said I was probably just over reacting. We were talking for about twenty minutes, maybe thirty. I fell asleep."

"The hospital also takes pictures of each newborn, we have that one, Linds. And your timeline helps us a lot. It explains why Danny didn't put up a fight when he was taken. Listen, do you and Danny have some kind of secret code?"

"No, not unless you count all the secret comments we've been making about Fina. Why?"

"We think Danny was trying to send us a message," Flack handed her the letter and the notes Mac had made. Lindsay studied it for a moment then gave a small sigh of relief.

"They mean something to you?" Flack asked, incredulous. Lindsay nodded. She grabbed for his note pad and wrote the letters out, grouping them by twos and threes. When she handed it back to Flack he read them off.

"_To MT SMM A-OK LOVE U D,_" he read. "Great, Lindsay. Now, what does it mean?"

"It's a message for me. To MT means, to Montana. SMM is Fina, it's her initials. He's telling me she's alright. That means they're together. The rest of the note is pretty self-explanatory. Find them, please, Flack." Lindsay started to shake. Flack drew her into a hug.

"I will," he said, "I promise."

Stella ran into the lab, Danny's phone in hand.

"He got a picture of his attacker!" she said. She ran to the A/V lab and plugged the phone to the computer. The image uploaded. It was rough, and only captured portions of the two faces, but it gave them a starting point. Flack walked into the room.

"That could be the nurse Lindsay said took Fina," he said. Stella, unaware of the second kidnapping turned and stared at him. Before she could ask him anything, Mac interrupted.

"Did the message mean anything to her?" he asked.

"Yeah, took her like two seconds to figure it all out. Danny's got the baby with him and she's fine. I'll let her explain all the technicalities later. Right now, we have security footage from the hospital and trace from the letter."

The room was small, dark and damp. It was also far too cold for Danny's liking. Fina was shivering in his arms, so he unbuttoned his dress shirt and tucked her in next to his body, wrapping his jacket around them both.

Danny heard footsteps descending a staircase and the door creaked open. A tall and menacing figure filled the doorway, silhouetted by the light streaming in from behind him. Danny instinctively curled around Fina, shielding her. The man tossed a bottle towards Danny, who caught it and contemplated it.

"It's all she's going to get," the man said, as if reading Danny's thoughts. The young father nodded solemnly and gently coaxed his daughter to drink.

"Good," their captor muttered before he walked away.

_AN- A little more angsty than my previous CSI: New York fic, but this one has been bumping around for quite some time… I want this to be the first in an AU series of fics… I've already got ideas for some more._


	2. Chapter 2

Lindsay sat in the rocking chair in the nursery she and Danny had created, clutching a pink and white baby quilt to her chest. Today marked her little girl's sixth month and it had been six months since hide or hair had been seen of either the infant or Danny. They had made the drop, pulling every penny Danny and Lindsay had, as well as contributions from the entire crime lab, but no one had come to pick it up. Lindsay let the tears roll hot and freely down her cheeks. Normally on important days like this, Stella would be around, keeping Lindsay from the nursery as much as possible and offering the numerous hugs that she seemed to need. But as it had turned out, Danny and Lindsay hadn't been the only crime lab employees hiding a secret marriage. A month after Fina and Danny's disappearance, Stella and Flack had come forward and admitted that they were actually approaching their fifth year of marriage and expecting their first child. He'd been born yesterday, a bouncing baby boy, Micah James Flack. Lindsay hadn't been to see him yet, and she wasn't sure she wanted to. She hadn't been back to the maternity ward at the hospital since she had left it with empty arms to return to her empty apartment.

That was how she felt now; empty, like everything that made her was gone. Work held nothing for her; she was still considered one of the top in her field, even more so as she barely took time off. Work was the only place she didn't have time to stop and wonder. At work she could almost act like things were normal, like Danny had the day off and was watching Fina. She'd see them in her mind, Danny stretched out on the couch, watching baseball or some such game, and little Fina sleeping peacefully on his chest, her head tucked right under his chin. On some of those days, she come home and curl up on that couch, tears trailing down her cheeks as she fought to detect Danny's distinct smell, which was slowly fading from around the house. Lindsay closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

--

Danny lay on the hard concrete floor, trying to sleep, cradling his daughter. They'd been allowed some time outside today, and Fina had loved it. He could see she had a bit of her Momma's country spirit to go along with the light brown hair that was starting to show a hint of curl and the smile that could melt his heart. Danny reflected on his Montana for a little while, picturing her in his mind. He had no idea where they were now, but he knew that today was his daughter's six month birthday. She seemed so big already. Danny gazed out the window at the star speckled sky and made a wish on the North Star. Then Fina stirred a bit, turning her head to look at him with her big blue eyes so much like his own.

"Fina Mac," he whispered, his voice solemn, "I'm going to get you home before your first birthday. I promise."

--

Mac sat in the hospital room cradling his new godson. He was hesitant to speak, but he had to know.

"Has Lindsay been by yet" he asked. Stella and Flack both shook their heads.

"She hasn't been at work since yesterday either," he mused.

"It's exactly six months today," Stella realized, shaking her head sadly. She laced her fingers in with Flacks and reached the other hand over to stroke Micah's downy head. A tear trailed down her cheeks as she thought of the pain her friend must be feeling.

"I'll make sure to stop by and check on her," Mac assured them. He handed Micah back to his mother and turned to leave the room.

--

At the sound of the doorbell, Lindsay stirred and rose, working the stiffness out of her body. She walked to the door, blanket still in hand and opened it. Mac stood on the other side, an envelope in his hands. He gave it to Lindsay as he stepped through the doorway. She pulled the pages free from the container and gave a little scream, letting them slip from her fingers. Mac bent down to pick them up and found himself staring at a photo of Danny and a little girl he assumed to be Serafina sleeping. The second page was a note.

"Detective Monroe-," it read, "feeling lonely? Good. Six months down, a lifetime to go."

_AN- I know, really depressing, huh? Don't worry, it gets happier, promise. And actually, Fina is going to be an amazing character. Her name- by the way, is Latin for Seraphim, which is one kind of angel. I might explain this in the story later, but she's sorta named for Stella BonaSERA and Mac (Mackenzie). AnywayI love hearing what you're thinking. _


	3. Chapter 3

Lindsay sat at her desk, staring at the now-framed photograph of Danny and Fina which had been left on her door. It was actually a copy, the real photo was stored in evidence. She heard a small baby's cry and looked up to see Stella, in the crime lab to introduce little Micah, cradle the one month old under her chin. Kendall leaned in a cooed over the little one, stroking his head tenderly. Lindsay sat back and let herself daydream about what Fina's first visit to the lab would have been like. She smiled at the thought of walking in with Danny at her side, their hands locked, the carrier on his other side. Kendall and Stella would have smiled and cooed at the littlest Messer, and Lindsay would have teased Danny to get him to change the baby's diaper.

She was pulled from her thoughts when the phone rang.

"Monroe," she answered.

"Mrs. Messer?" the receptionist asked, "There's a young boy down here to see Detective Messer, and I don't know what to tell him." Lindsay felt her breath catch.

"I'll be right down," she said quickly. She slammed down the phone and ran to the elevator.

The boy was about four, scrawny with dark brown hair but striking blue eyes. He held a letter in his grubby hand, but the tough glint in his eyes warned her against taking it. She knelt down in front of the boy.

"Hi there," she said, "I'm Lindsay, what's your name?"

"Gio," he spat out, his Staten Island accent clear even in the two syllables.

"Where's your Mama?" she asked. Gio's reply was a shrug. Lindsay took a deep breath and continued.

"Alice told me you are looking for Detective Messer," she said. He nodded.

"Is that letter for Detective Messer?" Again, a nod.

"Do you think I could maybe read it?" Gio didn't seem sure.

"Detective Musser is my husband," Lindsay said, "and he's not here right now, but I'm sure it'd be okay." Gio thought for a moment before relinquishing his grasp on the grubby paper. Lindsay thanked him and pulled a glove from her pocket before opening it.

"_Danny- This is your brother's kid. I can't deal with the grub any more, it's time for his dad's family to step up. –C_"

Lindsay looked from the letter to Gio and back again. Finally, she made her decision. She extended a hand to lead Gio upstairs. He looked up at her shyly, took her hand and followed. In the elevator he leaned against her legs and her hand rested on his head. He reached both arms up, and Lindsay couldn't help but gather him into her arms. She thought she felt tears soaking her sweater, but couldn't be sure.

She walked him to her office, where she planned to tell him about Danny. As soon as she sat down, however, Gio asked her a question.

"Mama said I was supposed to stay with Detective Messer," he said, "But isn't he missing?" The brilliant blue eyes stared into Lindsay's own and she recognized a maturity that the four year old should not have had.

"Yes he is, Gio," she answered, "but you can stay with me until we find him. I even let you help me investigate." The part that Lindsay played in this investigation was the PR, keeping Danny and little Fina fresh in the public's minds as they went about their lives, hoping that someone would se something that would return hers to normal as well.

"Okay, deal," he agreed, holding his hand out to shake, "Detective Giovanni Messer is on the case." Lindsay laughed and tickled Gio.

"First," she said, "We need to get you bathed and into some fresh clothes."

--

After explaining things to Mac, Lindsay and Gio headed for home, by way of Wal-Mart. They picked out an array of shirts and shorts for the boy, including one NYPD shirt which he immediately declared his favorite. Lindsay couldn't resist throwing in a couple of hats as well, an NYPD ball cap and a Yankees cap as well.

They stopped in the apartment long enough to bathe Gio and dress him in his new clothes before Lindsay declared it was too nice of a day to waste indoors and they headed for Central Park. As they wandered through the park, licking ice cream cones, Lindsay felt happy for the first time in seven months. She found herself laughing at the little boy's antics as he frolicked around the park. It was nice to see that there still was a child behind that mature gaze.

That night Lindsay snuggled under her covers and dreamt of Danny. But this dream wasn't one of the nightmares which typically haunted her. In this dream, she and Gio and Danny and Fina were all in Central Park together. Danny was teaching Gio to catch a baseball and Lindsay was seated on a picnic blanket, with Fina resting against her. She ran a hand across her daughter's silky brown curls and kissed her gently on the cheek. Suddenly, from somewhere she couldn't identify, she heard tears. She rolled over in bed and woke suddenly. The crying from her dream was continuing, so she tiptoed down the hall following it. Its source was the nursery, where little Gio lay, crying into his pillow. When she knelt down beside him and placed a hand on his back, he jumped, and immediately began to apologize for waking her.

"Shh," she whispered gently, "I know you must miss your mama. You want to come to my bed for the night?" he nodded and Lindsay lifted him effortlessly. They snuggled in and were soon sleeping peacefully once more.

--

Danny looked out and tried to ignore the crying he could hear from the other room. It took all he could not to attempt to rush the door and rescue his little girl. Not five minutes later, she was returned to him. He did a cursory examination and discovered that she didn't seem to be hurt, just frightened. He rocked her gently to sleep, hoping that her dreams would never be haunted by this, but knowing that likely wouldn't be the reality.

Danny's thoughts drifted to the captors and the fact they still had given no reason for holding the two of them. Any ransom would be long overdue and if they were going to die thy probably would have been dead months ago No, this was some sick game they were playing with Lindsay's head and the thought made Danny furious. Taking an infant away from her mother was like ripping the mother's heart out. And stealing her husband away as well was pulling the rock out from under her feet at the very moment she needed it most. Lindsay was strong, but he knew she had to be hurting too.

At least he had some general idea of where they were now. They'd moved again and there was a neon glow that shone through the window. He'd only been to Las Vegas once before, for a forensics conference, but he'd seen enough Vegas mafia movies as a kid to recognize the Strip even from a distance.

He studied the sleeping baby. _Five months left,_ he thought _I will keep my promise, Fina Mac, I will._

_--_

_AN- Here's another update… I decided to add Gio in a little early… he was going to get his own story, but after the last chapter I felt so bad for Lindsay I decided she needed some reason to smile and I absolutely love the idea of Gio as this street-wise little kid out to save the world, but most of all protect his little sister… who he hasn't met yet. I haven't decided whether Louie is going to be dead or still in a coma for my stories, any thoughts?_


	4. Chapter 4

Lindsay smiled down at Gio as the little boy asked permission to run to the playground nearby. She was a nervous mother, always wanting him in her sight, panicking if he slipped away from her at all in a public place. A week ago she would have made him walk with her to the playground, and he would have done it, but she knew he had so much energy that it wasn't fair of her to ask him to wait.

She scanned the crowd that had gathered for the annual Crime Lab barbeque, wondering who was on call since Mac, Stella and the gang had declared that she was to take the day off. Stella would be back to work soon, and Lindsay could tell she was chomping at the bit to go. As I summoned by her thoughts, the blonde CSI walked over to Lindsay, Micah in her arms. Lindsay reached out, finally having come to terms with the fact that, if she wanted to hold a tiny baby, it was going to have to be Micah. He snuggled in against her and closed his eyes. She and Stella sat down to talk.

"How are you doing, Lindsay?" Stella asked, concerned.

"It's been a weird adjustment," the younger CSI admitted, "Gio has so much energy and he brings so much life to the apartment that it doesn't feel empty anymore. But I keep expecting Danny to walk in that door and hand me a screaming baby who wants to be fed or changed or something, you know?" Stella nodded sympathetically. Lindsay heard Gio yell and the he ran over to her, blood dripping from one of his knees.

"I fell, Mommy," he cried. Lindsay froze for a moment. It was the first time Gio had called her that and it caught her off guard. She gathered the boy onto her lap and brushed the dirt off of the scrape. She then pulled a baby wipe and band-aid from her purse. After Lindsay had tended to his scrape, Gio kissed her then wiggled from her lap. Lindsay met Stella's incredulous gaze with one of her own.

"He's never called me that before," she mused out loud, "It scares me a little. What if his mother comes back and takes him from me?" I don't think I could take that, Stell."

"Don't go borrowing trouble, Lindsay," Stella advised, "Gio's been an angel. You're finally smiling again. If she does come back, he's given you happy memories during darkness, and if she doesn't ever come back you don't want to spend his life scared of losing him."

"You're right, Stella," Lindsay said, in that moment determined, "absolutely right."

--

That night, Lindsay awoke to Gio crawling under the covers behind her. His cheeks were tear stained and his eyes wide. She rolled over and pulled him into a gentle hug.

"I had a bad dream that you were alone again," he whispered, "I don't want you to be alone."

Lindsay marveled that such a small boy who had clearly had a difficult life could have such a huge, tender heart. She whispered gently to him and ran her fingers through his hair. Slowly, his grip on her nightshirt slackened and he drifted off to sleep. Lindsay lay awake in the darkness, listening to the 

sound of him breathing and knew that she wasn't going to get back to sleep. Instead, she flipped on the small bedside lamp. She then picked up the schedule folder for the forensics conference she was being forced to go to the next day. She hadn't wanted to go, but Mac had adamantly insisted.

_"It's your anniversary next week and I know it will be hard," _he had said, _"Please go for me."_ After the 333 stalker incident in Chicago, the higher-ups had put Mac on restricted travel duty, so the other CSI's were attending all the conferences outside New York. Lindsay had no choice but to agree. There was a daycare center provided at the conference location, so Gio would be coming along. He was excited about the idea of flying and spending the week away with just Lindsay.

--

Three days later, Lindsay stood in JFK airport, Gio beside her, clinging to her hand for dear life. He took in the hustle and bustle of the airport and inched closer. Lindsay shot him a reassuring smile and led him toward their gate. The fact that this was an early morning had them running a bit late, so only ten minutes after they sat down they were called to board the plane. Lindsay stood; only to discover that Gio had fallen asleep. She smiled and pulled him up onto his shoulder, careful not to lose the _Cars_ backpack on his back. She picked up her own carryon and somehow managed to get them both on the plane without incident.

Gio and Lindsay had the window and middle seats of a three seat row. As the plane continued to fill, the aisle seat was taken by a tall, leggy brunette. Upon seeing Gio, the woman smiled.

"How old is he?" she asked.

"Four," Lindsay replied.

"Same age as my oldest," the other woman mused, "I'm Sara, by the way," she added, extending her hand.

"Lindsay," the Montana native shook Sara's hand. "So what takes you out Dallas way?"

"Oh," replied Sara, "This is just the first leg of my journey, I'm headed home."

"So you're headed all the way to Vegas, then?" Lindsay asked. Sara nodded to confirm.

"All the way to Las Vegas."

--

_AN- So, the whole family in Vegas! Sounds like something's going to happen! But what? I guess you have to wait and find out. Sorry for the lack of Danny and Fina in this chapter… It just wouldn't fit, no matter how much I tried. Tell me what you think!!_


	5. Chapter 5

Danny Messer saw his chance. Eight months of waiting, of worrying, of dreaming, had led to this moment. They hadn't cuffed him; it would look too suspicious to the cops down the street. Instead they'd put him in charge of carrying Fina as they walked to the car. Just as they stood, waiting for the car to come or them, a pair of CSI's strolled down toward the crime scene less than a block away. It was beyond Danny how his two captors had held him and his daughter for so long and yet, were committing so many errors at once, but he accepted it as a gift.

The moment the CSI's were close enough, Danny sprang into action. He handed his daughter swiftly to the nearer of the two CSI's then turned on his captor, punching the guy in the face and grabbing for the gun in the larger man's waistband.

"Down on the ground, scumbag!" Danny yelled. The other man obeyed, but made a last ditch effort to gain control of the situation by grabbing for Serafina. Danny knocked him unconscious with the butt of the gun. His shoulders slumped in relief and he reached for his little girl, only to find himself being handcuffed and arrested for assault.

--

When Sara and Lindsay discovered that they shared a profession and that Sara's supervisor husband was the featured speaker at Lindsay's conference, they had become fast friends. Sara refused to allow Lindsay to pay for a cab, insisting that they drive together. Once they were on their way, Sara got a call from work that she couldn't ignore, so she headed for the LVPD crime lab.

A second dark SUV pulled into the parking space alongside Sara's car as Lindsay was helping Gio out of the car. The moment the driver's side door opened, Lindsay could hear the sound of a baby crying. The CSI who stepped out of the car was average height, with dark hair. He looked at his wit's end. Lindsay smiled at him sweetly then offered to try and calm the child. He looked to Sara, who nodded, then he opened the car door. At that moment, Lindsay felt her breath catch. She took in the infant before her, the light brown curls, the brilliant blue eyes, and knew. With trembling hands that felt like they belonged to someone else she undid the car seat buckles.

"It's ok, sweet angel," she whispered, pulling the girl into the shelter of her arms. The little girl's cries faded to whimpers at the sound of Lindsay's voice. The young mother felt tears in her eyes as she rocked back and forth, repeating the phrase over and over in her little girl's ear. She felt Fina relax and fall asleep, exhausted by her crying. Gio stepped closer to her as another car pulled into the lot. Lindsay reached a hand down to stroke his hair even as her head shot up to study the vehicle. The familiar head of blonde hair in the backseat of the police cruiser made her heart start racing.

"Danny!" she called out as the uniformed officer opened the door. He turned to face her as she ran toward him.

"Montana?" he asked, incredulous. She answered him with a kiss. He kissed her back until the officer pulled them apart. Only then did she notice that he was in handcuffs.

"Danny, what happened?" she asked, suddenly frightened.

"I didn't kill anyone. Everything will work out. Don't worry about me, Montana. You just take care of Fina there and we'll be back in New York before you know it." Danny leaned in for another kiss before allowing himself to be led away. The Vegas CSI who had driven Fina to the lab stepped up to Lindsay's side.

"Excuse me, ma'am," he said, a Texas accent adding a twang to his words, "but we need to get this baby inside to process her for evidence." Lindsay instinctively tightened her hold on Fina, planting a kiss on her chubby cheek before reluctantly releasing her. Fina had other ideas, waking as soon as her head left the safety of her mother's shoulder. The Texan bounced her gently.

"It's okay, sweetheart," he said, "I'm Nick, sweetie, please don't cry." He tried to comfort her, but she kept reaching for Lindsay, tears streaming down her face. Nick started walking inside and Lindsay lifted Gio into her arms to fill the empty feeling and followed Nick. Sara placed a comforting arm around Lindsay's shoulder as they walked in together. The CSI's gathered in a small room where Nick spread a blanket out on the table to protect Fina from the cold metal table. She was still screaming.

"You shouldn't be in here," Nick said to Lindsay. She turned to him with her tear streaked eyes.

"Please," she asked "I haven't seen her since the day she was born. I'll stand back here, but don't make me leave her." Nick nodded and set to work photographing the crying baby. After a few shots, Nick looked back to Lindsay and motioned to her to come up next to Fina. She did and the child stared up at her.

"That's my angel baby," she cooed, "Serafina Mackenzie Messer you are a beautiful little girl. And I bet you are very much a Daddy's girl." Fina giggled. Gio smiled down at the girl from Lindsay's arms and held out his hand for her to take. Nick finished the processing and dressed Fina in an outfit that he'd pulled from somewhere, bagging her clothes for evidence. He handed Fina over to Lindsay, who set Gio on his feet to take her little girl. Sara showed them to the break room where Lindsay was able to let a very tired Gio sleep on the couch. Lindsay sat with his head on her lap and rested Fina against her chest. The relief and the stress and the travel had drained her and so she fell sound asleep.

--

Lindsay awoke an hour later to find Danny standing in front of her, his hands framing her face. He leaned in for a kiss and she returned it. His hands wound themselves in her hair and hers wrapped around his neck. He pulled back and grinned at her, one hand on his daughter's downy head.

"Are you alright?" they both asked at once. The Messers laughed and kissed again.

"I'm fine," Danny assured her, "Let's go find someplace more comfortable to talk." Lindsay nodded, rising. She handed Fina over and moved to wake Gio.

"Come on, Buddy," she said softly. She met Danny's questioning gaze with a look that said they'd discuss it later. Gio roused a little, but didn't wake, so Lindsay picked him up and carried him outside, where Sara was waiting to take them to a hotel.

--

They talked late into the night, Danny relating his experiences and Lindsay filling him in on everything New York, from her newest cases to young Micah. She explained Gio and the angel that he'd been in her life during the past month. As the night went on the conversation faded and they drifted off to sleep.

That night Danny and Lindsay each enjoyed the best sleep they'd had in nearly a year. Lindsay woke to sunlight streaming in the room and rolled over in Danny's arms.

"Good morning, my love," he whispered, kissing her.

"Good morning," she whispered back, "It seems too quiet." They wandered to the living area of their suite where they found Gio entertaining Fina. They were both smiling and giggling. Danny leaned against the doorframe and pulled Lindsay to him. Gio saw them and came running.

"Morning, Mommy! Hey Danny!" he said, hugging them both.

"Hey Buddy!" Lindsay said, returning the hug, "You want to get some breakfast?"

"Yeah!" Gio exclaimed, "Can we have doughnuts?" Lindsay laughed.

"I'll even let you get chocolate milk. Now, go with Danny to get ready," she ushered the boys back toward the bedroom with a kiss to each of them. She smiled at Fina before leaning down to pick her up. She smiled at her daughter and playfully redressed her in the outfit the CSI's had given them. There was a knock at the door and Lindsay moved to open it, but not without checking the peephole first.

"Sara," she said, pulling opened the door. The brunette CSI stood in the hallway with a plastic bag on one arm and a baby girl on the other, two small children stood behind her.

"I figured you'd need clothes for the little one," she said, "These are a few outfits that my daughter Sydle wore when she was Serafina's age."

"Thank you," Lindsay said, taking the bag, "We were just headed out for some breakfast. If you'd like-" Sara cut Lindsay off.

"No thanks, I'll let you have your family time. Goodness knows you need it. Gil said he'd make a tape of his lectures for you." Sara turned away, "Let me know if you need anything."

Lindsay thanked Sara again and closed the door and turned to Fina.

"Let's see what pretty things Miss Sara gave Mommy, shall we?" Fina smiled and laughed. Lindsay pulled an adorable red and white checkered sundress and matching hat out of the bag. She put them on Fina and, while they were a bit big, she was the cutest baby Lindsay had ever seen. Gio ran out of the bedroom laughing with Danny hot on his heels. The family headed out to find breakfast, together.

--

_Yay! They're together again! There will probably be one more chapter in this story, a chapter that brings closure, and then another few stories as the kids grow up and the family expands._


	6. Chapter 6

Danny and Lindsay sat in the doughnut shop on either side of Gio as he happily munched on a sprinkle coated cake doughnut.

"You do realize that we're setting the kid up for a huge sugar rush," Lindsay laughed, studying the huge carton of chocolate milk and second doughnut in front of the boy.

"Yeah, but we'll let him run around for a while. Maybe at the park or something."

"Danny, are you sure that's safe? There's still the second kidnapper out there," Lindsay mused, worriedly. Danny leaned over Gio to kiss her.

"We'll be fine," Danny said, "The guy was the sidekick. He'll roll."

--

"Who were you working with?" Nick asked, slamming his open palm on the metal interrogation table. The man on the other side rolled his head tiredly.

"How many times do I have to tell you that the maniac attacked _me_," the man responded, brandishing his head wound.

"You know, Victor?" Nick said, "I tend to believe an NYPD cop over a parolee. Especially when everything matches up." Nick threw down a printed copy of the photo from Danny's phone. He placed his finger on the woman's face.

"Who is she?" he asked again, "This is the difference between life with and without the possibility of parole for you. Just give her up!" Grissom motioned to Nick from the doorway. The Texan crossed and slipped out into the hallway.

"Victor's wife was found five minutes ago in their car. Right now it looks like suicide." Nick walked back into the room.

"Was it Harmony?" he asked, "Did your wife mastermind this whole thing didn't she?" Victor stared blankly at the wall. Nick leaned in close.

"She's gone, Victor," he said, "She killed herself." Victor's face crumpled. His head lowered to the table top.

"It was all her idea," he choked out, "after her brother's trial, she lost it."

"Her brother?" Nick asked.

"Daniel Cadence. He went down for murder in Montana two years ago. Danny was everything to Mony; he practically raised her. So when he was sent up river, she lost it, swore she'd get revenge. So when the witness who testified against him started a family, Mony lost it and came up with the plan. And it worked. We were going to raise the girl as our own, but Mony couldn't handle the crying and the 

diapers. So we left her with her dad," Victor stopped and rested his head on his arms. He was led from the room as Nick looked on, incredulous.

--

"Thanks, Nick," Danny said as he hung up the phone. Lindsay looked up from her place next to the crib.

"It's over," was all Danny said.

"Really?" Lindsay asked, a timid hope in her voice. Danny nodded and opened his arms. Lindsay rushed into them and melted against him. His kissed the top of her head.

"Let's go home."

--

_That's it for this story, but not this family. More will be up eventually, but I'm going to be really busy this summer so no guarantees. Hope you enjoyed it! CATE_


	7. Epilouge

Stella collapsed against Flack the second they sat down on the break room couch. They had just solved an incredible triple homicide which had kept them busy for almost two straight days. Stella had counted 12 missed phone calls from Mac.

"We should go pick up Micah from your sister's," Stella said. They'd stopped by when they had a chance, but they hadn't seen their son all day. Flack nodded as he ran his fingers through her hair. As Flack and Stella walked to the elevators, the doors opened to reveal the Messer family. Stella froze in her tracks as Danny stepped out of the elevator with his left hand in Gio's and his right in Lindsay's. Fina sat on Lindsay's right arm laughing at a face Gio had just made.

Stella got over the shock and ran toward Lindsay, embracing her.

"Oh my word! She's adorable!" she exclaimed, tickling Fina's bare foot, "Hi angel!" she cooed. Then Stella turned to Danny and hugged him too.

"I'm so glad you're ok," she said. Flack also hugged Danny and most of the lab rushed over to them. Fina curled into Lindsay, frightened by all of the new faces, then reached for Danny. Lindsay handed her over, feeling a slight twinge of jealousy but understanding her daughter's discomfort.

"We were just headed to get Micah," Flack said, "Do you guys want to come over for dinner?"

"Sounds like a plan," Danny answered for all of them.

--

The four adults watched as Micah and Fina met each other. The two babies stared at one another then crawled toward each other, eventually settling on their behinds and passing toys back and forth. Micah held out a teddy bear and Fina shook her head. He tried again, the bear was his favorite toy, but she shook her head again, chattering away. Micah seemed to understand and set the bear aside. Gio came over and started playing too.

"How adorable!" Stella said as Gio kissed Fina's head.

"He's been amazing," Lindsay said, "He hasn't left her side since she and Danny came back."

"How did that happen, by the way?" Flack asked.

The adults sat on the sofas and talked until Gio wandered over to Lindsay and Fina crawled to Danny.

"These two are minutes from crashing," Danny said, "We'd better be off."

And with that, the Messers headed home, together, angels in their arms.

--

_So, I was done with this and then KitKnits suggested that I needed some team reaction. So I wrote this. Surprise gift! Hope you enjoy and I can concentrate on a sequel now._


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